Sunday February 11, 2007

 Pipes is complete.

The shape is really pretty, and I think it will be becoming to #2 daughter. I am not sure of the finishing of the collar, so I may yet come back and change that.

This is made of Telemark Deep Navy (with bits of Curry, Maple, and I think it was Wolf) on #1 needles.

It is a Raglan sweater knitted from the top down in one piece in the traditional way.

In my zeal to finish Pipes, I did not knit on Erin at all, but I intend to get back to it today. I will also be beginning a new zombie knitting project. I have a couple of baby showers coming up, so it will probably be a baby thing, though I am feeling eager to begin the Bijoux blouse.

 In sewing, I finished the hot mitt. It meets the conditions for the Sew?I Knit sewalong for this bimonth, though I hope to do more kitchen sewing.

The pattern for this is from an Ondori book, now out of print. The pattern had complex patchwork and quilting. I looked at the condition of my current (store-bought) oven mitts and how rudimentarily they had been constructed, and decided to stitch together bands of this pretty border print and whip the thing together very quickly. We found that it is sized for a Japanese hand as well, so I am glad I didn’t spend that much time on it, but it will be a nice addition to the kitchen. At least when we are not in too much of a hurry to pull it on. The scrap of fabric to the left may become a hanging loop, though the pattern didn’t call for one.

I once knew a couple who had pretty hot pads which they displayed. They kept the ones they actually used, which naturally get singed-looking after a while, stuck in a drawer. This strikes me as silly. On the other hand, there are all those pretty patchwork potholder patterns still waiting. Do you put time into utilitarian things which you know will be ruined pretty quickly in the course of their use, or not? It is almost a philosophical decision. I decorate cakes which are to be eaten, and cultivate flowers which will wither and die, so I guess I should be willing to quilt potholders whcih will be singed and stained.

I also cut this out. I got it in my mind that I wanted to make a turtleneck for the last piece of my SWAP, and had no such pattern on hand, nor any suitable fabric. so I actually went and bought the fabric and the pattern.

This is not the economical way to do it. You’re supposed to get the pattern when it is on sale for 99 cents and the fabric also when it is on sale, because you planned ahead.

As it stands — even though I forwent the organic cotton and bamboo knit in lovely shades of pink — this garment will cost as much as if I had bought it ready-made.

However, Kwik-Sew patterns do not go on sale for 99 cents, the Big 4 pattern companies do not currently have turtlenecks in their line (they are wrong, by the way — there were quite a few turtlenecks in the spring couture shows), and it will be more fun to make it myself.

So I can make more of these, in organic bamboo and cotton if I care to, so the cost of the pattern per garment will go down, and use the leftover fabric to make something else, so the fabric’s cost will be spread out over a couple of things.

While I was having the fabric measured, the man who was next in line said ruefully, “I’ll never be caught up. I have so many projects going.”

He looked like a biker. We have a biker festival here every year, so I can say this with confidence. He was wearing a denim shirt with fancy topstitching, which he had made himself. Also a sort of scarf/hat thing which probably has a colorful name if only I knew. He had clearly made that as well.

“Never is a long time,” I said. “You can get caught up. Unless you keep adding projects.”

He chuckled.

Now I must take #2 son to sit in the parking lot of Target till they open. We are told that a shipment of Wiis is arriving, and hope to score one. It is hard for me to believe that I am going to be involved in this kind of caper, but there it is. I love the kid.

We got the Wii, courtesy of daughters # 1 and 2. It is as cool as everybody says. I have an appointment to play with it when I get home from church.